STMicroelectronics NYSE: STM used its STM32 Summit in Silicon Valley to outline a “technology convergence” strategy for embedded systems and introduce new microcontroller families and software tools aimed at automotive, industrial automation, robotics, digital power and edge artificial intelligence applications.
The company said its unified STM32 MCU platform is intended to help developers reuse software, tools and intellectual property across product families and markets as systems become more connected, software-defined, security-focused and capable of autonomous operation. ST said the platform is supported by consistent Arm Cortex-M-based architectures, the STM32Cube ecosystem, shared process technologies and a supply chain it manages internally.
According to the company, the STM32 developer ecosystem includes close to 2 million developers, while its ST Community receives more than 300,000 visitors per month. ST also said it has shipped more than 20 billion STM32 devices.
Arm partnership and physical AI
Arm Executive Vice President of the Physical AI Business Unit Drew Henry said ST will be a lead partner in defining the future Cortex-M roadmap, alongside Cadence as a design partner. Henry said Arm has shipped more than 100 billion Cortex-M devices and sees physical AI as a potential $200 billion compute market by the middle of the next decade.
“We believe that this is a $200 billion compute market in the middle of next decade or so,” Henry said, referring to systems that apply AI to agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and other real-world environments.
ST said it is combining Arm CPUs, its neural accelerators and more than a decade of MCU AI software experience for edge AI workloads. The company also highlighted deterministic Ethernet connectivity, integrated security features including SHA accelerators and post-quantum cryptography libraries, and safety-focused hardware and software support.
STM32A expands into automotive and safety applications
A central product announcement was the STM32A series, which ST described as a new line combining its general-purpose and automotive microcontroller experience. The series is designed for automotive and high-safety embedded applications, including industrial automation, robotics, energy systems and infrastructure.
ST unveiled the initial three-product roadmap:
- STM32A4: Intended for entry-level automotive nodes, including distributed sensing, actuation, doors, windows, lighting and local controls. ST said the devices will offer low cost, compact memory, cryptographic support and LIN implementation.
- STM32A5: Targeted at body and comfort-control functions, with up to 4 MB of memory, enhanced security and safety support up to ASIL B. ST said the devices are also suited to mid-range safety-critical industrial, robotics and energy applications.
- STM32A9: Intended for higher-function zonal vehicle endpoints, with real-time control, low-latency and Ethernet-oriented connectivity, plus safety support up to ASIL D. ST said its split-lock core architecture can prioritize ASIL D operation or provide twice the ASIL B performance when ASIL D is not required.
The company said the STM32A family will provide continuity with STM32-compatible IP, software concepts, tools and the STM32Cube ecosystem while addressing automotive-grade qualification, functional safety, security and longer product lifecycles.
NVIDIA Vice President of Robotics and Edge AI Deepu Talla discussed the companies’ work around robotics and the Holoscan Sensor Bridge, which enables sensor and actuator connectivity over Ethernet. ST said it plans to release Holoscan Sensor Bridge software as a native component of the STM32Cube ecosystem in coming months and intends to develop simulation libraries for its sensor, MEMS, microcontroller and actuation portfolios.
STM32G5 and STM32H7P product launches
ST also launched the STM32G5, a general-purpose mixed-signal microcontroller based on an Arm Cortex-M33 running at up to 280 MHz. The company said the device delivers a CoreMark score more than double that of the STM32G4 and is designed for motor control and digital power applications.
Versions aimed at digital power will include additional high-resolution timers, while motor-control versions will provide more analog peripherals, ST said. Other cited capabilities include a 111-picosecond timer resolution, a position encoder, a programmable logic array with 16 logic elements, a 5-megasample-per-second analog-to-digital converter and pseudo-differential mode for signal-to-noise performance.
The STM32G5 targets SESIP Level 3 and PSA Certified Level 3 security certifications and supports post-quantum cryptographic libraries, according to ST. Initial devices, Nucleo boards and Discovery kits are available, while ST said a dual-core version is being developed for release next year.
Ram Kumar of ST introduced the STM32H7P, describing it as the company’s first STM32H7 combining a Cortex-M7 processor, a Hardware Signal Processor DSP accelerator and an 82-GOPS Neural-ART accelerator. The microcontroller operates at up to 520 MHz and delivers a CoreMark score of nearly 2,700, which Kumar said is 150% above most competing solutions.
The STM32H7P includes high-resolution timers, comparators and twice the flash memory of a 1 MB STM32H7 at roughly the same price, according to ST. Kumar said the device is aimed at digital power, digital signal processing and edge AI applications, and can operate in industrial environments up to 105 degrees Celsius through exposed-pad packaging.
AI development software update
ST also updated its AI software offering. Miguel Castro, head of AI marketing and strategy for the Americas, said the company is replacing its Model Zoo interface with Model Explorer, Model Factory and Model Bench tools for discovering, customizing and benchmarking AI models. It also introduced Dataset Factory for organizing and cleaning data.
In addition, ST announced STM32Cube for Agentic AI, a tool intended to provide coding assistants with STM32 documentation, guidelines, examples and other development context. Castro said early experiments reduced token usage by 93% for a blinking-light application, while typical configurations are expected to reduce token usage by roughly 50% to 60%.
About STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM)
STMicroelectronics N.V. NYSE: STM is a global semiconductor company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of integrated circuits and other semiconductor products. Its offerings support applications in automotive, industrial, personal electronics, communications equipment and computer systems.
The company's product portfolio includes microcontrollers, analog and power semiconductors, sensors, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), connectivity products and automotive chips.
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